Eggs the way our ancestors enjoyed them!
Most Americans come home from the store and put their eggs into the refrigerator, but if you are buying your eggs straight from the farm you may not have to!
Farm fresh eggs are a bit of a marvel when compared to their supermarket cousins. Unwashed farm eggs can safely sit on your counter without requiring refrigeration. Read on to learn more.
Why Can You Leave Farm Fresh Eggs on Your Counter?
The secret is in the eggshell. Freshly laid eggs have a natural coating called the "bloom" or "cuticle" that protects them from bacteria and reduces moisture loss. This protective layer keeps the egg safe at room temperature for several weeks.
Once the eggs are washed, like the ones in the supermarkets, this coating is removed and the eggs are vulnerable to bacteria and no longer stable at room temperature.
I remember traveling to Peru before we started our homestead. We visited a grocery store with our host and the eggs were sitting on a shelf by the checkout counter. Our host was surprised that we wasted precious refrigerator space on eggs.
Most Peruvians don't have a refrigerator, and the ones I saw were much smaller than the ones here in America. They also don't use ice in their drinks even though their winter felt like Florida's summer!
The Benefits of Not Refrigerating Your Eggs.
Convenience: You don't need to make fridge space! When you have a large family like I do, space is precious.
Baking: Room temperature eggs are better for baking because they mix more evenly into batter. Professional bakers have told me that their baked goods are fluffier because of this.
Taste and texture: After switching back and forth from store bought to farm fresh we realized that store bought can't compare to the flavor or the tenderness of a farm fresh egg.
Why Should You Buy Farm Fresh?
Studies have shown that farm fresh eggs have less cholesterol and saturated fat that store bought eggs. They contain 25% more vitamin E, 75% more beta carotene and are more than 20 times richer in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Fresh eggs taste better, and eggs from chickens that are allowed to forage for a diverse diet are unbeatable.
Most store bought eggs come from birds that are kept in cages and fed low-quality feed. It's a miserable life with a significantly reduced life span (in some ways that's a blessing!).
Many farmers and homesteaders either allow their birds to free-range or keep them in special chicken tractors which are moved regularly in order for the chickens to enjoy fresh forage.
How Can You Be Sure Your Eggs are Good?
There is a simple float test that you can use to check your eggs before you crack them open. This works with store bought and farm fresh eggs.
Place the egg into a bowl or cup with enough water to cover it. I just use room temperature water. If it lays on its side and stays on the bottom it's very fresh. If it stands upright it is older, but still good to use. Once it starts to float it's time to toss it.
Farm-girl tip: If you are boiling eggs you want to use your oldest eggs. Ones that are starting to stand up a little bit in the water are perfect. Older eggs peel easier because the pH has begun to change and this decreases how well the membrane sticks to the shell!
Wash Your Eggs Before Cracking Them
We keep our eggs on our counter, unwashed. When we are ready to cook them we put them in a bowl of water and quickly rub them clean with our hands, a dish cloth, or a small vegetable scrubber. This allows us to check the eggs and get dirt off them before breaking them. The kids are always watching to see if they won a double yolk!
We sell our eggs unwashed unless a customer prefers refrigerated eggs. In that case, we collect, wash, and refrigerate their pre-ordered eggs and mark them as "refrigeration necessary".
*Check with your egg supplier before assuming your farm eggs are unwashed. Most farmers wash their eggs before selling them for a variety of reasons. .
It's estimated that 20-30% of eggs have "spots". This often worries those who have only used store-bought eggs because they have never seen these spots before. This is because most store-bought eggs go through a machine that shines a bright light through the egg and checks for "imperfections".
These spots are completely safe and do not affect the taste or quality of the egg. The spots will disappear during cooking, or you can use a knife to cut them out.
Red, brown, or brown/black spots are remnants of a ruptured blood vessel that occurred during the formation of the egg. These spots are called "blood" spots, "meat" spots, or "protein" spots.
Most white spots you will see are a part of the germinal disc, which is a part of every egg. During formation, this disc will "stretch" or fade, and the disc is usually not noticeable by the time the egg is laid. Sometimes, a white spot is created from too much calcium in the hen's diet.
What's that in my egg?
Local Customers:
Our hens are pasture-raised without any added hormones. During the winter we supplement their diet with sprouts, fodder, worms, mealworms, or beetles from our worm farm to ensure high-quality eggs year-round.
If you are a regular customer please text Dennis or myself directly. Keep in mind, that our eggs are in high demand and we have been selling on a first come first serve basis. We apologize in advance for any wait.
With that being said....We are eggcited to announce that we are increasing our flock to better meet the demand for farm-fresh eggs! (Yep I had to do it, sorry kids)
If you live near Bon Aqua, Franklin, or Madison (Nashville) and are interested in becoming a customer you can ask about our egg availability by clicking the "Contact" link at the bottom of this page. We may not be able to provide eggs immediately but it will help us as we plan our flock so we can serve you soon!
